Still some troubled water for Cloongullane Bridge to cross

Mayo County Council will need all the time up to the July 31 deadline given by An Bord Pleanála to supply further information in relation to the Cloongullane Bridge realignment scheme.

Fianna Fáil councillor Annie May Reape raised the issue of the delay on the project at the Roads and Transportation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC ) of the council this week, with the head of roads for the local authority Paul Dolan.

Outlining the current situation, Dolan said that the council got notification for ABP in early January that it was looking for further information and survey work to carried out by the council.

The result of this work will be a revised or updated Natura Impact Statement. He added that depending on what is in these reports, ABP may deem it necessary to put the information on public display before making a final decision.

The official also informed the SPC that some of the survey work was time dependent and could only be carried out in summer months and the council would need up to the July 31 deadline to get the information required.

Before the request from APB for this information a grant of €700,000 for the project had been give by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII ), Dolan told the SPC that the money would be now used towards the survey and design work for the bridge, but said he did not foresee that all the money would be spent on the project this year and it would be reallocated elsewhere.